Gender & Localising Aid: The Potential of Partnerships to Deliver

This report, the result of internal research by CARE International, argues that partnerships in humanitarian response not only meet lifesaving needs but can also address gender inequalities. Based on the review of five recent emergency responses, the report explores which partnership models and practices can best foster gender transformative humanitarian action.

CARE’s focus on women and girls is based on overwhelming evidence of gender discrimination as an underlying cause of poverty and marginalisation, leading them to being more vulnerable to the effects of disasters than men and boys. Humanitarian programming that fails to account for the differing roles and power dynamics between men and women tends to exacerbate gender inequalities. At the same time, disasters often disrupt and displace social structures and relations, creating opportunities to promote gender transformational change, such as women taking on leadership roles in their household and community during relief and recovery. While urgent, lifesaving action is critical in crisis response, CARE firmly believes that gender-sensitive action is essential to an effective response. CARE is also convinced that humanitarian action can advance gender equality and transformation.